[SBB] Almaden Lake and environs

[michael mammoser <[[email protected]]>]

This morning, 9 Jun 06, I decided to head to Almaden Lake to look for Cattle Egret. After scoping the island I found an adult LITTLE BLUE HERON foraging along the sand spit at the west end of the island. Shortly after that I noticed Bob Reiling along the lakeshore east of the island, and I went and got him and we enjoyed prolonged views of this bird for some time. Continued scoping for the Cattle Egret was in vain, but there was much activity about the island none the less. GREAT and SNOWY EGRETS are nesting in earnest, while many recently fledged BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS are hanging around, and also a couple families of GREEN HERONS. An adult PIED-BILLED GREBE had a single downy chick with it on the water. Two female COMMON MERGANSERS were babysitting a half-grown young bird on the spit at the mouth of Alamitos Creek, where it feeds the lake.

Bob and I then headed upstream for a short distance, managing to find a singing YELLOW WARBLER in the willows there.

After a quick check of the creek from the VTA parking area, I left Bob and headed downstream. I had a CASPIAN TERN flying over the ponds at the SCVWD headquarters. Another YELLOW WARBLER was singing from the willows just at the hwy 85 overpass of the creek. Also at this overpass, WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS are using the drainage holes, while CLIFF SWALLOWS have built their own holes. A couple of young BULLOCK'S ORIOLES with their Mama were chattering up a storm in response to my pishing, while a young ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER seemed to be on it's own. Further upstream a family of NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS were all sitting in a bare-branched bush along the creek - an adult with 4 yellow-gaped, rusty-winged youngsters.

Michael Mammoser

 

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